So many sweet things that made me fall in love with him.
Eden didn't know how to tell her dad and Helen what was wrong without telling them the whole story. All of it. Including the part where she lied to her father.
She started by apologizing to him for deceiving him, then hesitantly began to tell them how Alice kept pushing her and Rudy together and how each interaction ended in disaster.
They laughed when she told them about the skunks and their subsequent tomato sauce then peroxide and baking soda baths. Then they grimaced when she mentioned her bout with food poisoning and gasped when she described Rudy's fishing accident. Of course, she left out the toe-curling, knee-weakening kisses that Rudy gave her each time, especially the one that Alice interrupted in the entryway.
Finally, she finished with, "I just can't help wondering if God doesn't want me to be with Rudy. And if that's the case, then why did he allow me to fall in love with him. The man is the epitome of a cinnamon roll hero."
"A what?" Dad and Helen asked in unison.
"He's an all-around good guy. The kind that takes a fresh loaf of bread to little old ladies who can't cook and takes time out of his busy day to play basketball with a struggling neighbor. He literally saved my life the first day I showed up in Providence, and he pulled my hair back and mopped my brow when I was vomiting."
Helen sighed. "He sounds perfect."
"He is. In every way. Except he has a plan for his life that he refuses to stray from. And it doesn't include marriage and a family for another three years."
Her dad's brow furrowed. "I understand wanting to have financial stability, but is he a big enough idiot to throw love away over a few life goals?"
Helen's arm tightened around Eden's shoulders. "Do you love him enough to fight for him?"
Didn't Kennedy say something similar a couple days ago?
When Eden didn't answer, Helen tried again. "You need to ask yourself what you want more than anything else. Then go for it. If it's meant to be, it'll work out. Just put your trust in God."
That's something I haven't done in a while. In fact, I've blamed him for every bit of bad luck that has happened to me and Rudy when I should have been thanking him for bringing Rudy into my life.
"Thanks for the reminder." Eden blinked back tears. "I want... I want to get married and have a family right away, but..."
"But what?" Dad and Helen said in unison again.
"Is it enough?" Eden bit her lip, half afraid of how her dad might respond. "Is being a mom enough?"
Could she trade in the power suits for baby bottles and diapers without feeling like she was letting people down or missing out on something in her life?
"It was enough for your mom." Dad sandwiched Eden's hand between his. "She was a high-powered attorney before she had you. But she gave it all up and never regretted it."
How had Eden forgotten that her mother used to be a lawyer? It must have been because she was simply always there. She never complained about being a mom, and her parents had rarely ever talked about the sacrifices she made.
"And let me tell you, honey," Dad patted her hand again. "After going through this..." He pointed to his head. "I realize there are much more important things in life than work."
"Your mother loved being a mom. You were her whole world." Helen stroked Eden's hair. "I think you'll make a great mom."
Me too.
Eden leaned into Helen's touch. The woman had been the only mother she'd known for the past sixteen years, and if all went well, she'd be Eden's stepmother soon.
Then there was Alice. She took Eden in and treated her like one of her own, teaching her all the things she'd taught her own daughters. Eden didn't want to lose that new mother figure in her life.
So how do I convince Rudy that love is worth altering his plans for?
CHAPTER23
Eden parked her car under the carport for 4-B and pulled her suitcase from the trunk.
Last night Helen had insisted she come spend the night with her in the apartment over the garage after treating her to a late dinner. But tonight, her former nanny encouraged her to return to her apartment.
Eden knew she needed to face the place at some point, but it had been so quiet after Kennedy moved out last year that she'd dreaded coming home to it in the evenings. She'd rarely bothered to cook, so she hadn't left much food in the fridge, but she hated to think what might be growing in there.
